{"id":19433,"date":"2024-08-29T15:49:34","date_gmt":"2024-08-29T14:49:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/?p=19433"},"modified":"2025-05-07T14:54:01","modified_gmt":"2025-05-07T13:54:01","slug":"what-is-a-credit-default-swap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/what-is-a-credit-default-swap\/","title":{"rendered":"What is a credit default swap and why is it used?"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"entry-header has-dark-background-color entry-header--has-illustration entry-header--has-illustration--generic\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__row row align-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-lg-7 col-xlg-6 entry-header__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"component component-single-header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__misc text--subtitle text--uppercase text--small\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/category\/money-matters\/\" class=\"entry-header__link\">Money Matters<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-title-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"entry-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tWhat is a credit default swap and why is it used?\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"entry-header__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"single-post-details container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"posted-on \">Published <time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2024-08-29T15:49:34+01:00\">29 August, 2024<\/time><\/span><span class=\"reading-time\"> min read<\/span>\n\t\t<button\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\tclass=\"social-share-button button button--icon button--secondary js-social-share-button\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-title=\"What is a credit default swap and why is it used?\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-url=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/what-is-a-credit-default-swap\/\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-text=\"Please read this interesting article\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__share-label\">Share<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-label\" hidden>Copy Link<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\" hidden>Copied<\/span>\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/header>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author has-dark-background-color alignfull\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"co-authors\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-author-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"entry-author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/author\/kieronjohnson\/\">\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"40\" height=\"40\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/01\/Kieron-Johnson-350x350.jpg\" class=\"entry-author__image\" alt=\"kieron-johnson-profile-picture\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/01\/Kieron-Johnson-350x350.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/01\/Kieron-Johnson.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 40px) 100vw, 40px\" \/>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"entry-author__name\">Kieron Johnson<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Imagine that you&#8217;re a small business owner with big plans to expand, but you&#8217;re a little short on funds and in need of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/government-grants-for-small-businesses\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">loan<\/a> to bridge the gap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, you stroll down to your local bank and manage to secure a \u00a310,000 loan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What you don&#8217;t know is that while the bank is willing to lend you the money to make your expansion dreams come true, it has slight reservations about your ability to make your loan repayments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, a seasoned investor enters the frame who not only believes in your business but also in your ability to repay your loan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The investor offers to pay the bank \u00a310,000 if you default on your loan. In return for the investor taking on the risk, the bank will pay the investor a small fee each month or quarter\u2014 similar to an insurance premium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The purchase agreement between the bank and the investor is known as a credit default swap (CDS).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this article, we&#8217;ll cover what a CDS is, how it works, when a CDS is used, and the pros and cons of buying one.<\/p>\n\n\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><div class=\"wp-block-yoast-seo-table-of-contents yoast-table-of-contents\"><ul><li><a href=\"#h-what-is-a-credit-default-swap\" data-level=\"2\">What is a credit default swap?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-how-does-a-credit-default-swap-work\" data-level=\"2\">How does a credit default swap work?<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#h-when-is-a-credit-default-swap-used\" data-level=\"3\">When is a credit default swap used?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-a-credit-default-swap\" data-level=\"2\">Advantages and disadvantages of a credit default swap<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-final-thoughts\" data-level=\"2\">Final thoughts<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<a\n\t\tclass=\"button button--primary gate-46d869e5-f36b-4b06-8a2c-0ee65a10435b\"\n\t\trole=\"button\"\n\t\tdata-button-location=\"content_area\"\n\t\thref=\"#gate-46d869e5-f36b-4b06-8a2c-0ee65a10435b\"\n\t>Download your free small business toolkit and use the checklists and templates to manage your accounting, payroll and HR business admin with ease<\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-is-a-credit-default-swap\"><strong>What is a credit default swap?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A CDS is a contract, known as a financial derivative, which enables a lender (the protection buyer) to exchange or swap their credit risk with an investor (the protection seller).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To offset the risk of default, the lender (the bank in our example) buys a CDS from an investor who agrees to reimburse it for the face value of the loan\u2014plus interest payments\u2014if the borrower defaults on the loan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But, if the borrower doesn&#8217;t default, the investor gets to keep all the periodic &#8220;insurance&#8221; payments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Most swaps are intended to protect the lender from the borrower defaulting on high-risk municipal bonds. They also protect against:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Collateralised debt obligations<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Corporate debt<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Emerging market bonds<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Junk bonds<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Mortgage-backed securities<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sovereign debt.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-does-a-credit-default-swap-work\"><strong>How does a credit default swap work?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The investor is only required to compensate the lender if a default or credit event occurs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A credit event is a set of circumstances agreed upon in the CDS contract that activates the swap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The most common credit events are when:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The borrower fails to make a scheduled debt payment.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The borrower&#8217;s debt repayment terms have been changed in a way that disadvantages the lender, such as reducing the interest rate.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The borrower declares <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/sound-advice-bankrupt-in-my-20s-5m-by-30-alfie-best\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">bankruptcy.<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-when-is-a-credit-default-swap-used\"><strong>When is a credit default swap used?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>In order of popularity, here are the 3 main ways a CDS is used:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1. Speculation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When a swap is traded, its market value goes up and and down, which a CDS trader can profit from. Investors trade swaps in the hope of profiting from price differentials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let&#8217;s say an investor speculates that a company&#8217;s creditworthiness will shortly be on the decline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Based on this belief, the investor buys a CDS on the company&#8217;s debt, paying periodic premiums to the protection seller.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If the company&#8217;s creditworthiness deteriorates and a credit event occurs, the investor will profit from their speculation through a payout from the protection seller.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But, on the other hand, if no credit event occurs, the investor loses all their premiums.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>2. Hedging<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Insurance companies, pension funds and other securities holders can buy a CDS to hedge against the risk of a borrower defaulting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Imagine a bank with a diverse portfolio of bonds issued by a company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To guard against the risk of the issuing company defaulting, the bank buys a CDS on the company&#8217;s debt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If the company defaults, the bank receives a payout from the protection seller, offsetting the losses from the defaulted bonds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>3. Arbitrage<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Arbitrage is the strategy of capitalising on the pricing inefficiency between two markets by buying a security in one market and re-selling it in another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Imagine a savvy arbitrage trader realises that there&#8217;s a price discrepancy between the CDS market and the bond market for a certain company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The trader then buys the company&#8217;s bonds at a lower price and, at the same time, sells a CDS on the company&#8217;s debt at a higher price.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If the company defaults, the trader offsets the loss on the bonds by the payout from the CDS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But if the company doesn&#8217;t default, the trader earns the premium from selling the CDS while holding onto the bonds.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<a\n\t\tclass=\"button button--primary gate-46d869e5-f36b-4b06-8a2c-0ee65a10435b\"\n\t\trole=\"button\"\n\t\tdata-button-location=\"content_area\"\n\t\thref=\"#gate-46d869e5-f36b-4b06-8a2c-0ee65a10435b\"\n\t>Download your free small business toolkit and use the checklists and templates to manage your accounting, payroll and HR business admin with ease<\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-a-credit-default-swap\"><strong>Advantages and disadvantages of a credit default swap<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition to minimal cash expenditure and access to credit risk without the related interest rate risk, a CDS offers several other benefits:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Risk reduction<\/strong>: a CDS doesn&#8217;t eliminate risk for lenders, but it does go some way towards reducing it. This security can increase business innovation and promote economic growth.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Diversification<\/strong>: a swap allows investors to diversify their portfolios, which reduces their risk because a default by one company, for instance, can be offset by periodic payments from other successful swaps.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Liquidity<\/strong>: the CDS market is a highly liquid one, which affords investors the freedom to manoeuvre in and out of market positions at pace while incurring minimal transaction fees.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>A CDS also has its drawbacks:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Protection seller risk<\/strong>: during financial headwinds, the protection seller may default on their contractual obligation under the CDS, leaving the protection buyer without compensation if a credit event happens. (Incidentally, this played a part in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.law.cornell.edu\/wex\/credit_default_swap#:~:text=Credit%20default%20swaps%20played%20a,throughout%20the%20United%20States%20economy.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">financial crisis of 2007\/8<\/a> and the European Sovereign Debt Crisis of 2010.)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>False sense of security<\/strong>: a swap can create a false sense of security among lenders and investors alike, which can result in an unhealthy risk appetite and riskier loans being taken out as a result.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Complexity<\/strong>: CDS contracts can be highly complex and intricate documents, which sometimes make them difficult for novice investors to understand (let alone appreciate the risks involved).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-final-thoughts\"><strong>Final thoughts<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A CDS is a risk management tool which transfers the risk of a borrower&#8217;s default to a third-party investor in return for periodic payments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Doing so can provide a valuable safety net for your business, potentially stabilising its financial health and outlook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But, it&#8217;s important to understand the complexities involved in buying a CDS and weigh up its pros and cons to ensure that it aligns with your overall risk management strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After all, a swap has risks of its own. Even though it protects a lender from a borrower&#8217;s default, it also exposes the same lender to the risk that the seller of the CDS may default.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a solid financial climate, a CDS is a strategic tool used to minimise the risk of default, but in challenging financial times, buying a CDS can be seen as exchanging the risk of one default for another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n<div class=\"single-cta gated-content\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Get your free small business toolkit<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>Need help with accounting, payroll and HR admin for your business? This toolkit comprises free templates and checklists to help you manage your key business admin tasks with ease.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-46d869e5-f36b-4b06-8a2c-0ee65a10435b\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Download the toolkit<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1261586981-1440x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1261586981-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<section class=\"more-topics alignfull has-grey-light-background-color wp-block-sage-post-topics\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"row\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-12 col-lg-4\">\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"more-topics__title h2\">Browse more topics from this article<\/h3>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-12 col-lg-8\">\n\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"post-tags__list\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/tag\/business-costs\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBusiness costs\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/tag\/business-finances\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBusiness finances\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/tag\/business-support\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBusiness support\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<div class=\"alignfull wp-block-sage-related-posts\">\n\t<section class=\"related-posts card-grid has-dark-background-color\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"related-posts__heading related-posts__heading--featured h1\">Explore more wisdom<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"row related-posts__featured\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-0 post-30564 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-strategy-legal-operations tag-business-costs tag-business-finances tag-business-performance tag-making-tax-digital-for-income-tax business_type-small-business business_type-accountants industry-construction card-post--is-clickable\"\n>\n\t<div class=\"card-post__media-wrapper\">\n\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/06\/landlord-1440x810.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"A landlord outside some properties he owns\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/06\/landlord-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/06\/landlord-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/06\/landlord-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t<div class=\"card-post__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__label\">Recommended<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-06-25T11:09:14+01:00\">25 June, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">10 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h3\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__title-link\"\n\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/private-landlords-2026-need-to-know-changes\/\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tNew legal requirements for private landlords in 2026 and beyond\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"card-post__description\">\n\t\t\t\tIf you let property as a private individual then there&#8217;s been a handful of key changes in 2026\u2014plus more on the horizon. Here&#8217;s what you need to know.\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row related-posts__non-featured\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-12\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"related-posts__heading related-posts__heading--more h4\">More on this Topic<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-1 post-30483 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-free-guides-templates category-people-leadership category-strategy-legal-operations category-trends-insights tag-business-performance tag-business-support tag-create-business-plan tag-grow-business tag-make-receive-payments tag-mtd-accountants tag-making-tax-digital-for-income-tax tag-payments tag-performance-management business_type-small-business business_type-accountants\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/the-hidden-hours-behind-late-payments\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-607477465-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-607477465-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-607477465-768x513.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-607477465-1214x810.jpg 1214w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg role=\"presentation\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" class=\"card-post__meta-icon svg-icon\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M11.988 2.989a.75.75 0 0 0-.739.761v10.689l-1.72-1.72a.75.75 0 0 0-.957-.099.75.75 0 0 0-.315.776c.031.146.104.28.211.384l3 3a.75.75 0 0 0 1.06 0l3-3a.76.76 0 0 0 .231-.533.74.74 0 0 0-.22-.538q-.108-.106-.247-.164c-.139-.058-.191-.057-.291-.056s-.198.022-.29.061-.174.097-.243.169l-1.72 1.72V3.75a.76.76 0 0 0-.22-.541.76.76 0 0 0-.542-.22zM5.75 8.5C4.24 8.5 3 9.74 3 11.25v7C3 19.76 4.24 21 5.75 21h12.5c1.51 0 2.75-1.24 2.75-2.75v-7c0-1.51-1.24-2.75-2.75-2.75h-3a.76.76 0 0 0-.537.216.74.74 0 0 0-.223.535.76.76 0 0 0 .223.535.74.74 0 0 0 .537.216h3c.699 0 1.25.551 1.25 1.25v7a1.24 1.24 0 0 1-1.25 1.25H5.75a1.24 1.24 0 0 1-1.25-1.25v-7c0-.699.551-1.25 1.25-1.25h3a.76.76 0 0 0 .537-.216.74.74 0 0 0 .223-.535.76.76 0 0 0-.223-.535.75.75 0 0 0-.537-.216z\" \/><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-06-19T11:24:18+01:00\">19 June, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">8 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tThe hidden hours behind late payments\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-2 post-15795 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-money-matters tag-accountant-accounting tag-accountant-automation tag-brexit-business tag-business-finances business_type-small-business business_type-medium-sized-business\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/what-is-account-reconciliation\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/08\/GettyImages-1325244864-1-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"man in office\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/08\/GettyImages-1325244864-1-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/08\/GettyImages-1325244864-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/08\/GettyImages-1325244864-1-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-06-02T15:28:18+01:00\">2 June, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">10 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tAccount reconciliation: What it is and best practices\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-3 post-30283 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-strategy-legal-operations tag-business-finances tag-financial-education business_type-small-business business_type-medium-sized-business\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/strategic-budgeting\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-944060494-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-944060494-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-944060494-768x478.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-944060494-1300x810.jpg 1300w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-05-27T15:12:53+01:00\">27 May, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">10 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tStrategic budgeting explained: the finance team&#8217;s role in long-term planning\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-4 post-30270 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-money-matters tag-bookkeeping tag-business-finances tag-reporting business_type-small-business business_type-medium-sized-business industry-saas\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/saas-revenue-recognition\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1488918938-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"A man using a computer and protecting himself from phishing\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1488918938-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1488918938-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1488918938-1215x810.jpg 1215w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-05-27T12:11:12+01:00\">27 May, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">14 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tA guide to SaaS revenue recognition with examples\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Like an insurance policy, a credit default swap can guard against life&#8217;s uncertainties\u2014with minimal cash needed upfront.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1766,"featured_media":19436,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"sage_hide_published_date":false,"sage_hide_read_time":false,"sage_hide_share_buttons":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[197,135,124],"business_type":[4,3],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[],"imagine_tag":[91],"coauthors":[402],"class_list":["post-19433","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-money-matters","tag-business-costs","tag-business-finances","tag-business-support","business_type-small-business","business_type-medium-sized-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-gb","author_name":"Kieron Johnson","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/08\/Person-doing-credit-default-swap.jpg","imagine_tags":{"91":"Growing business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice UK","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19433","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1766"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19433"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19433\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/19436"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19433"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19433"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19433"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=19433"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=19433"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=19433"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=19433"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=19433"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=19433"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=19433"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}